Zimbabwe: Taking up a career in politics
Harare: Politicians on Tuesday shared a panel to discuss careers in politics in a special DefZee Presents Food for Thought Session at the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section. DefZee is an online publication for youth in Zimbabwe. The DefZee discussion series is held monthly for youth to hear from working professionals about the nuts and bolts of a wide range of careers.
Tuesday’s session featured three elected politicians and two candidates running for the first time in this year’s elections. The speakers included two women: Honorable Lucia Matibenga, MDC MP for Kuwadzana, founding member of the MDC, and the first Chairperson of the Parliamentary Women’s Committee, and Honorable Sekai M. Holland, MDC-T Senator for Chizhanje, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, and one of three co-principals in the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration in the Office of the President and Cabinet. There were also three male politicians: Honorable Saviour Kasukuwere, ZANU-PF Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, and Member of Parliament for Mt. Darwin; Glen Dhliwayo, an independent candidate running in Highfield West constituency; and Jacob Mafume, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T)’s candidate for Harare South. Nqobile Moyo, the founder and Chairman of Voices in the Vision for Africa (VIVA) Zimbabwe, also spoke about his organization’s support for youth voting and peace building.
Below is an excerpt of the panel’s views on what motivated their interest into politics as well as their take on politics as a career. This is not a complete transcript.
Question: What motivated you to go into a career in politics?
Senator Sekai Holland: …I am in politics to actually clean politics. Politics is not a dirty game — it is the highest calling — and as long as women and the youth make it what it ought to be — to serve the people — until I lay the foundation for that, I have failed.
Jacob Mafume: I was Director of Constitutional Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office overseeing and supervising the constitutional process using the Prime Minister’s eyes. I am pleased with what we did. We have produced a new constitution, and I have now decided to present myself as the candidate for Harare South. I have always believed that my goal was to be able to represent people, the interest of the country, and to serve the country as best as I could. That is what inspires me and gets me going as a politician.
